


Cloves in the Sun

by apocalypseArisen



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-15
Updated: 2013-10-06
Packaged: 2017-12-15 02:40:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/844383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apocalypseArisen/pseuds/apocalypseArisen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hunger Games from Cato's POV, showing his relationship with Clove and other members of the Careers til the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> for maub

I guess I should be more enthusiastic. I’m heading into the game that I could possibly win, and bring honor to my district, family, and myself. But all I feel when I wake up in the morning is dread, dread that courses through me, and leaves me feeling like a giant ton weight.

My mother coaxes breakfast into me, and I notice tears brimming at her eyes as she does. I glance down at the meal. It’s my favorite. I manage a smile. I eat it slowly, silently, trying to stay strong. My father always tells me I was the strong one in the family. My brother used to be, before he left to some district I didn’t bother to know of; as a Peacekeeper. He decided he wasn't tough enough to have a job in the mountains, and he wasn’t handsome enough to pick a nice woman and settle down. I disagreed on both things. We never disagreed on anything. But he left anyway.

Mother tells me I should wear my nice outfit. Father says I should wear the clothes he bought for me a few days ago, that show off my stature. I decide to put on my favorite outfit. A gray shirt and a pair of black pants. Both frown at me when I exit my room, but make no comments.

I settle into the waiting area. I get a couple scowls from the more competitive boys, and a few sympathetic glances from others. I can’t tell which makes me more upset. They should have got their sympathy out during the goodbye party that is hosted for those who are set to volunteer. I avoid each and every one of their glances, though, and stand up straight and tall, watching the Capitol woman.

She shuffles on the podium, glancing at the Mayor for confirmation, and then strolling over to the female ball once he nods. With a tight smile that looks more like a grimace, she reaches into the ball and picks out a paper with a light hand.

“Riley Yert.” She announces, and then watches as a girl, my age, but much shorter than me, steps up and walks straight to the podium.

“I’d like to volunteer.” The girl announces. The woman nods, and helps her up onto the stage. The girl who was picked didn’t even move. The woman asks her name, and the girl responds with simply ‘Clove.’

Clove. She is who I will have to fight, who I will have to kill. I take a peek over at her parents, barely containing their weeping. I then look at mine. Silent. Solemn. As if this was my funeral, instead of just the reaping. I decide my parents have always been stronger than I have.

“Wes Kelling.” The woman says, and I, as well, walk straight up to the podium.

“I volunteer,” I say, loudly and full of strength. I don’t know where that came from. I don’t feel loud or strong. The woman reaches to help me up onto the stage, but I just jump onto it. She opens her mouth to ask me my name, and I say, once again, loudly, “Cato.” Clove looks over at me, frowning. As if she is figuring out how to the kill me the quickest, after the alliance is over. The Career alliance, we’re told the other districts call it. I just named it ‘the death pack’.

The woman keeps up the grimace and flashes it to both of us. Her hair is a despicable shade of green. I’d love to hate the citizens of the Capitol, but they’re just too dim to bother with. Like children, or pets. Except the districts are more like their pets than anything. She then rests a hand on each of our shoulders.

“Let’s have a round of applause for our District 2 tributes for the seventy-forth annual Hunger Games!” She announces, her smile actually looking more fake than it was before. I begin to clap, but then notice Clove isn't and stop. She’s still watching me, calculating my every move. I decide to study her as well, figure out what she’s thinking about me. As we lock eyes, a twitch of a smile plays on the corner of her lips. Good. She’s impressed. I run a hand through my hair, and then pay attention to the woman from the Capitol once more. “You will be able to meet with them momentarily inside here.” She gestures to the large building looming behind us. She then looks at us, and with a last glance at the crowd that’s sending me joyfully to my death, I follow her in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aah this was a little thing i started writing for a friend but kind of forgot about. i planned on kind of rewriting the entire story just from cato's perspective (with quite a bit left out, obviously). i'll post the chapters i have per demand and once i've put all the ones i've written then i'll start writing it again! i started this so long ago that i think my writing style has changed quite a bit since then but i think it's a good change so it's probably fine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> well this part was written a while ago too.. i decided to put up the chapters i've posted so far up. yea

Clove kept her distance from me up at the podium, but she edges closer as we walk through the hall. Our shoulders brush once, and by the way she walks, so elegantly and careful, I know it’s on purpose. I watch her for a moment, and she smiles at me, her eyes twinkling with a faint apologetic shine. I smile back slightly, and she looks away, stepping just a tiny bit further, and then in a moment’s time, a tiny bit closer.

I know her ploy. She’s trying to get me to like her, to go easy on her and make her my best ally. She plays with a strand of her perfect ebony hair, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye, and I now know her second plan. She wants to be shy. Well, I’ll fix that.

We reach our individual rooms, as our parents, friends, and siblings rush in to say their goodbyes. My parents enter first, patting me on the back, with my mother saying that she’ll have my favorite dinner cooking for when I get home. She smiles at me brightly, but I can tell by her eyes she’s not so sure I will come home. I nod, and they shuffle out, my father patting my shoulder with a last ‘go get ‘em, Cato.’ My girlfriend then rushes in.

“Cato!” She whispers, pulling me into a hug. She then quickly pulls me away. “Cato, why did you do this? What if you don’t come back?” She says, her voice breaking, but when I truly look at her eyes, I know she’s glad I’m leaving. She’s had her eye on the boy second to me, and I don’t think she truly liked me before anyway. I never liked her at all either, so I don’t mind. I smile at her, shaking my head.

“I will come back. Don’t be worried. You’ve seen me train before, right?” I say, brushing her hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. She grabs my hand after I do it, and actually starts crying.

“But what if you don’t? Cato, I will miss you!” She says, her words oozing with fakeness. I narrow my eyes. Why does she still keep up this façade, even now? Our parents that forced us together aren’t even around.

“I won’t.” I say finally, and there’s a ghost of upset in her eyes. Did she actually like me? Or maybe she’s just upset I didn’t go along with her. Either way, she nods, hugging me one last time before she leaves.

“Make sure to win. I’ll wait for you.” And she sounds sincere. I feel bad, now that I think she may have liked me a little. An apology floats to mind, but she’s already gone. 

And that’s everyone who visits me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a lil short but i'm not really sure what to add else. i apologize for the long wait, but i think i'm going to start updating this regularly again.

I stand near the wall, trying to listen in on Clove’s friends and family, but there’s only silence. I guess she didn’t have a big crowd, either. I wonder if this is normalcy, for those in District 2. Being picked is planned ahead of time, so most of the goodbyes were already given out. I’m honestly surprised my girlfriend came, actually. I thought I settled everything up with our last hug. That’s our relationship, hugs and fake words. I wonder if that’s normalcy, too.

It takes quite a while for Clove to finish, longer than it took me, anyway. I guess she has more friends than I do. I was never particularly nice at school, so I shouldn’t be surprised, but I did have a bit of a group. Maybe they resolved to waiting until I came back from after winning to talk with me. Yes, of course that’s it. Why would it be anything different?

We’re finally told to exit our rooms, and there’s quite a bit of shuffling, but I guess we have a couple seconds. Clove walked out her door smiling and blowing kisses to her family, but when they leave and the only other person around is me, she holds a frown that complements mine. Why does everyone have to be fake?

She holds my glance for a little bit, her lips thin and irritated. We both look like we want to say something to each other, but I refrain, and so does she. I wasn’t sure what I would have said anyway.

The Peacekeepers come in noisily, and escort us out and to the train yard. The crowd is back, and they’re waving, chanting our names and yelling out words of encouragement. Chances are one of us will come back, so they aren’t so upset like some other districts are. I can only imagine how District 12 is. I lock eyes once again with Clove, and we board the train.


End file.
